From: | hdqrs@worldnet.att.net |
Date: | 12 Mar 1998 16:37:38 |
Reply: | cpeo-military |
Subject: | Beatty Tritium Contamination |
NEWS FROM CONGRESSMAN GEORGE MILLER 7th District, CA Committee on Resources, Committee on Education and the Workforce. 2205 Rayburn Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Daniel Weiss, James Snyder Monday, March 9, 1998 202/225-2095 USGS: BEATTY CONTAMINATION WORSE THAN THOUGHT Report Raises Serious Questions About Ward Valley Safety, Miller Says WASHINGTON -- A new study of tritium contamination surrounding the defunct "low-level" nuclear waste site in Beatty, NV, raises serious questions about the proposed Ward Valley site planned for southern California, Congressman George Miller (D-Calif.) said today. The new U.S. Geological Survey study released March 4 not only confirms earlier surveys indicating that the Beatty site, closed in 1992, is the source of increasing and significant offsite contaminations, but shows that contamination is much more widespread than previously thought. Beatty is important as a comparison site to Ward Valley due to their similar geology. Miller, as senior Democrat of the House Resources Committee, has opposed Ward Valley for several reasons, including the contamination near the Beatty site, Ward Valley's high storage costs, and excess capacity for low-level nuclear waste across the country. Earlier USGS studies found contamination in a limited area near the dump. Studies leading to the current report found offsite contamination AT EVERY GRID POINT SURVEYED while confirming that contamination is approaching the water table at deeper levels that previously measured. In addition, tritium vapors were detected in the air above a creosote bush, presumably released from vegetation absorbing the contaminants from the soil. "This new evidence indicates that the contamination from the low-level waste site is much more extensive than previously expected," said Miller. "Scientists are unable to explain how and why the contamination has spread in a dry, desert location presumed safe for low-level nuclear waste." "The study confirms why the Interior Department was right to examine and re-study the accuracy of earlier testing at Ward Valley. Despite the State of California's assertion that there was no problem with the site, this new research provides startling additional findings challenging the basic premise that contamination does not spread at desert locations like Ward Valley." "Clearly, serious scientific questions remain to be answered before a decision to transfer public land for that use can by made by the Secretary of the Interior." Save Ward Valley 107 F St. Needles, CA 92363 ph. 760/326-6267 fax 760/326-6268 http://www.shundahai.org/SWVAction.html http://earthrunner.com/savewardvalley http://www.ctaz.com/~swv1 http://banwaste.envirolink.org http://www.alphacdc.com/ien/wardvly4.html | |
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